1. Field of Technology
The present invention generally relates to electronic components made of ceramic material and, more particularly, to a generally elongated ceramic electronic component such as, for example, a capacitor or a resistor, of a type having a metal cap mounted on each end thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A ceramic electronic component of a generally elongated configuration, for example, a cylindrical ceramic electronic component, having its opposite ends mounted with respective metal caps has long been used and is well known in the art. By way of example, FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art resistor comprising a generally cylindrical ceramic body 1 having a resistance layer 2 deposited on the peripheral surface thereof, and metal caps 3 and 4 mounted on opposite ends of the ceramic body 1. The metal caps 3 and 4 so mounted are electrically connected with the opposite ends of the resistance layer 2 through respective lead-out electrodes (not shown), the assembly being in turn lined with a resin coating 5 which shields only the resistance layer 2 from the outside while permitting the metal caps 3 and 4 to be substantially exposed to the outside. The metal caps 3 and 4 serve as terminals of the cylindrical chip resistor, and an electric resistance can be obtained across these metal caps 3 and 4.
In the manufacture of the cylindrical chip resistor of the construction shown in FIG. 1, in order to avoid any possible chipping or cracking which would occur at a peripheral edge of each end of the ceramic body 1, the peripheral edge 1a of each end of the ceramic body 1 is rounded to have a predetermined radius R.sub.1 as shown in FIG. 2. Similarly, the interior corner 3a and 4a of each metal cap 3 and 4 is rounded to have a predetermined radius R.sub.2. According to the prior art, the radius R.sub.1 of rounding at the peripheral edge 1a of each end of the ceramic body 1 is smaller than the radius R.sub.2 of rounding at the interior corner 3a or 4a of each metal cap 3 or 4, although FIG. 2, as well as FIG. 3, illustrates only one end of the ceramic body 1 and its associated metal cap 3.
As best shown in FIG. 3, when the metal cap 3 or 4 has been, or is, mounted on the corresponding end of the ceramic body 1, and when the metal cap 3 is pushed towards the ceramic body 1 by the application of an external pushing force A.sub.1 acting in a direction generally axially of the ceramic body 1, the peripheral edge 1a of the end of the ceramic body 1 is brought into abutment with an inner wall face of the mounted metal cap 3 with the consequence that, because the radius R.sub.1 of rounding is smaller than the the radius R.sub.2 of rounding, a cylindrical wall portion of the metal cap 3 is flared radially outwardly as shown by the arrow A.sub.2. Therefore, the prior art chip resistor has a problem in that one or both of the metal caps 3 and 4 cannot be firmly mounted on the respective ends of the ceramic body 1 and are, therefore, easy to separate therefrom.